The driver eases out of Split before dawn, headlights carving a ribbon through the coastal fog as the city falls away and the road climbs toward the Lika plateau. By midmorning the car reaches the rim of Plitvice Lakes National Park and the sound changes—from traffic to water: a low, relentless chorus of streams that seems to dare you closer. Boardwalks wind across turquoise steps; the biggest falls throw spray into the sun like white flags. On a private transfer, that first sight arrives without the crush, with a driver who knows which entrance will save you the longest queue.